Turmeric has recently made headlines for its anti-inflammatory properties which some claim rival those of ibuprofen without any side effects.

Antioxidants and inflammation-reducing therapies have also been proven effective against neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s.

1. Combats Inflammation

As we age, our ability to naturally combat inflammation and oxidative stress declines. But curcumin, an antioxidant found in turmeric (Curcuma longa), acts as both an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant.

Curcumin can effectively block inflammation-provoking mediators like cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules and enzymes like cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Curcumin also has been demonstrated to prevent activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), a protein which promotes gene transcription leading to inflammation responses.

Chronic systemic inflammation and oxidative stress have been linked with heart disease, yet curcumin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have been shown to significantly decrease both. One study discovered that middle-aged adults taking 4 grams of curcumin per day for 12 weeks experienced a 65-70% reduction in oxidative stress markers compared with the control group.

Curcumin has also been shown to protect against neuroinflammation, a condition characterized by cell death and release of proinflammatory cytokines by microglial cells and astrocytes. One animal study demonstrated this when curcumin reduced both cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of beta amyloid (bAmyloid) and inosine nucleoside (iNOS), as well as brain plaque levels associated with amyloid.

Studies have demonstrated the positive mental health impacts of turmeric consumption, such as reduced anxiety and depression. One such research project involved participants taking curcumin supplements who experienced significant reduction in their Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores compared with participants receiving placebo pills. While these results are promising, high doses of curcumin can interfere with blood-clotting functions or cause stomach upset in certain people; to optimize its bioavailability look for products using either standardized extracts of curcumin or piperine, which increases its bioavailability.

2. Prevents Cancer

Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory properties and ability to protect cells from DNA mutations could help lower cancer risks. Research on animals shows promising results; more studies must be performed on humans in order to ascertain if turmeric can effectively prevent or treat cancer.

Curcumin-treated healthy subjects reported less muscle soreness after an eccentric exercise regimen designed to challenge daily physiological homeostasis and induce inflammation and oxidative stress, and had significantly less evidence of muscle damage compared with its control group counterpart.

Curcumin may achieve this result thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, which block inflammation-promoting mediators like cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, and enzymes like cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Curcumin also boasts antioxidant properties which neutralize free radicals that cause oxidative stress.

Curcumin contains phenolic compounds which have been demonstrated as natural inhibitors of multiple enzymes involved in inflammation and oxidative stress, such as NF-kB, MAP kinase and Janus kinase/signal transducer activator of transcription. Furthermore, Curcumin has also been proven to enhance endogenous antioxidant functions in chronic iron overloaded rats by increasing salivary radical scavenging activity as well as plasma glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase levels.

Curcumin has demonstrated neuroprotective and antioxidant effects beyond just its neuroprotective qualities, including increasing ab peptide clearance by macrophages in the brain, dismantling amyloid plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease and improving cognitive performance in clinical trials with patients on antidepressant medication. Furthermore, curcumin showed promise as an adjunct therapy that could decrease symptoms of depression while improving cognitive performance in an antidepressant patient trial.

3. Treats Diabetes

Curcumin, the active ingredient found in turmeric, has received significant recognition as an all-natural way to manage diabetes. It appears to act both as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Curcumin may help treat diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism, while helping prevent nerve damage caused by diabetic neuropathy. Furthermore, curcumin may even improve symptoms associated with diabetic retinopathy in which damaged blood vessels feed the retina of an eyeball.

One trial followed 63 people with diabetes taking 45 milligrams of curcumin daily for two months at a low dosage (45mg/day). Results revealed lower levels of total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol – both markers for heart disease – while curcumin also caused increases in both nitric oxide production and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, two factors associated with lower atherosclerosis risk.

Another study demonstrated that curcuminoids could effectively protect those with impaired glucose tolerance or pre-diabetes from progressing to full-blown type 2 diabetes by decreasing insulin resistance and improving pancreatic beta cell function while simultaneously decreasing oxidative stress levels.

Note that turmeric should not be used as a replacement for diabetes medication; those living with the condition should consult their healthcare provider before taking any herbal supplements.

Studies indicate that curcumin can help diabetes patients manage the side effects of medications like oxacetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). Furthermore, curcumin may reduce glycemic load in some individuals by decreasing protein glycosylation and carboxylation, as well as by inhibiting degradation and carboxylation of liver proteins – but many challenges still remain for its use as a therapeutic agent for treating diabetes and its complications. Research efforts continue to address these issues so we may find a compound with which will work effectively in treating both types of issues simultaneously.

4. Combats Alzheimer’s Disease

Curcumin has proven its neuroprotective abilities and shown promise in combatting Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It reduces accumulations of beta-amyloid (Ab) peptide in senile plaques – one of the primary histopathological hallmarks of AD – as well as improve memory by raising levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) boosting levels, as well as decrease inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.

Animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of curcumin in reducing Ab peptide accumulation by inhibiting their conversion to fibrils, decreasing formation of amyloid-beta oligomers, and speeding clearance from amyloid deposits from the brain. Furthermore, curcumin reduces tau phosphorylation, enhances activity of acetylcholinesterase enzyme, prevents oxidative damage to neurons, protects blood-brain barrier integrity by upregulating PSD-95 which regulates synaptic transmission associated with spatial memory, as well as by lowering cholesterol levels, inhibiting JNK-3 phosphorylation, and increasing BDNF expression.

Curcumin is poorly absorbed and eliminated from the body, limiting its clinical efficacy. Therefore, researchers are actively developing novel formulations to increase its bioavailability – such as conjugating to peptide carriers or complexing it with essential oils such as piperine. Nanoparticles, liposomes, phytosomes or polymeric micelles could all provide delivery systems.

Add turmeric to your diet as part of an overall strategy to support heart, brain, and joint health. According to registered dietitian Nicole Hopsecger RD’s recommendation of two teaspoons daily mixed into smoothies, juices or curries as an effective remedy – but you shouldn’t stop there; turmeric’s powerful herbs offer many more advantages that may even prevent diseases for which you might otherwise be at risk.

5. Prevents Heart Disease

People living with heart diseases are prescribed medications that reduce cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, prevent clot formation and more – but the risks involved with these remedies must also be considered. What if there were something that could prevent their diseases at their root source while providing relief for those already living with them?

Curcumin may provide the solution. Studies have demonstrated its ability to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels, while also protecting against conditions which contribute to heart disease such as obesity, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.

Dietary supplements that promote heart health have proven so successful at warding off coronary artery disease that research into their use for patients has begun. A study published in Circulation Research demonstrated the benefits of curcumin extract on heart attack risk factors like high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol levels and elevated blood pressure among those diagnosed with CAD.

This finding is particularly encouraging given that coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the main contributors to cardiovascular illness and death worldwide. People living with CAD face increased risks such as stroke, heart failure, claudication and vascular dementia.

Researchers are also intrigued by the possibility that curcumin-derived medications could prevent atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty deposits build up on arterial walls leading to blockages that lead to heart attacks or strokes. Curcumin may help stop these deposits from forming by decreasing inflammation levels in cells that line the arteries.

Researchers hope their new medication will provide safe and effective long-term treatment for those living with cardiovascular disease (CAD). At present, its development remains in its early stages, so additional human studies will need to take place before its success can be determined.